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The world of jazz in the late '40s, '50s, and early '60s was graced with one of the most talented guitar virtuosos of all time: Johnny Smith. Unless you were a budding young jazz guitarist or a lover of guitar at that time, you probably don't own or haven't heard most of the incredible recordings that this great artist produced. Mosaic Records' release of The Complete Roost Johnny Smith Small Group Sessions is exactly that.

This 8-CD box set release contains 178 tracks that cover 15 original LPs and 4 ten-inch sessions in a beautiful digital format, paying due homage to the guitar virtuoso in celebration of his 80th birthday. This set fills a missing piece in the recorded history and legacy of jazz guitar. A large part of Smith's life-work is covered in this volume - and, of course, some of the greatest jazz guitar performances ever heard.

The musicians appearing on the recordings are for the most part Mousey Alexander (drums), George Roumanis (bass), and Bob Pancoast on piano. Hank Jones, George Duvivier, Eddie Safranski, and Don Lamond are also featured, along with Stan Getz, Zoot Sims, and Paul Quinichette. Johnny Rae (vibes and percussion), another great musician, also appears on some of the cuts.

Discs 1 and 2 cover some excellent recordings which offer a relaxed format and brilliant harmonic, lyrical, thematic, and humorous improvisation, fluently executed by Smith on tunes such as "Where Or When," "Dancing on the Ceiling," "Easy to Love," and "Have you Met Miss Jones." Smith's stunning technique and harmonic knowledge never got in the way of his playing, which retained a feeling of simplicity in the midst of complexity: a quality that characterizes genius. The dynamic combination of jazz great saxophonist Stan Getz with Smith produced a unique sound exemplified in their classic hit, "Moonlight in Vermont." The guitar giant always remains interesting and creative, as in the great standard "How About You," during which Smith modulates to a different key in the midst of his solo break, embarking upon a swinging solo that only he could produce. The first and second CDs showcase his beautiful closed voice and different chordal solos - particularly on ballads like "What's New," "Sophisticated Lady," and "Autumn in New York." Johnny Smith's clean technique and beautiful single line solos can be heard in "I'll Remember April," "Blues for Birdland," and the burning tempo tunes "Jaguar," "Cherokee," "S'Wonderful," and a host of other great standards on these two discs. His own composition, "Walk Don't Run" (later a hit record) gives the listener an idea of what the composer's initial idea for the song might have been.

Discs 3 and 4 feature more of the great jazz and pop standards in a quartet format, with the late Johnny Rae on vibes replacing piano on half of disc three. This group represented one of the best jazz guitar quartets of all time. Johnny Rae's cool and swinging interpretation of Milt Jackson's "Bags Groove" and Thelonious Monk's "Round Midnight" show the talent of this great jazz musician who was also a wonderful drummer and percussionist. Smith's solo on "Bags Groove" is one cool jazz 12 bar blues solo, pretty much summing up his single line solo style. Rae appears on nine of the ten tracks that were on the original LP, with Smith playing "Black is the Color of my True Love's Hair" as a solo piece. Disc 4 contains more of the classic quartet songs like "Body and Soul," "East of the Sun," and "Zing Went the Strings of my Heart," definitely completing the four-disc group.

Discs 5 and 6 are a rare addition of many great classics that time and room did not allow for in the first four discs. And luckily so, for they include many Rogers and Hammerstein favorites, like "You are Beautiful" and "People Will Say We're in Love." A large portion of these two CDs highlight Smith's seeming ease in pulling off a guitar trio session, which is a more difficult task, as the guitar is more exposed. Taking advantage, however, of the extra space in that setting, Smith shines brilliantly once again. Tunes such as Like "Someone in Love" and "A Foggy Day" give a good idea of what Johnny's conception of the guitar in a trio setting.

Last but not least, we have disc 7 and 8, which give us an even broader view of the versatility of the guitarist. In addition to the final collection of quartet sessions that include a number of tunes featuring Hank Jones on piano - notably "Embraceable You," "Misty," and "Gypsy in my Soul" - there is more. We are treated to the special recordings of Johnny Smith playing solo guitar - a treat indeed! This recording, called "The Man with the Blue Guitar," was recorded at the Johnny Smith Guitar Center in Colorado Springs in early 1962. He performs his own solo arrangements and adaptations of composers such as Ravel and Scrabin.

The only thing that's missing in this set is the LP that Johnny did with jazz vocalist Ruth Price. This, in my opinion, was a jazz classic ranking with the noted Barney Kessel - Julie London collaboration. Ruth Price Sings with the Johnny Smith Quartet has priceless versions of "A Sleeping Bee," "Back in Your Own Backyard," and a lot of other good tunes. Oh well, lets consider ourselves lucky. Maybe next time.

All recordings are available solely through Mosaic Records; 35 Melrose Place; Stamford, CT. 06902; (203) 327-7111. Check their website at www.mosaicrecords.com for more information or to place an order.